Forever Mine
by Sierra Willowgem
Summary: Young Isabella Willes has lead a miserable life. She is battered, broken and torn apart, until a certain someone comes along and throws her a lifeline. But is it too late for Matt Hardy to save her? Or will Bella finally get her happy ending?


What a miserable, miserable life I had.

Mum was a druggy, an alcoholic and depressed. I'm only seven years old and I'm experiencing something a 40 year old (with problems) would. Mum and I live in a shabby old council house, barely getting by, day by day.

But my life wasn't always this depressing. From the time up until I was 3, I had lived a happy family life; Mum, me and my Dad. I loved my dad more than anything in the world, and so did my Mum. But then a one-eyed freak called cancer came knocking on my Dad's door. The doctors told him he had only around 4 months to live. My Dad was pretty strong about, but Mum wasn't. She started taking drugs. Marajuana, Ecstasy and every other damn thing in between. Every night, I would hear them arguing about one thing or another. Then my Dad would come into my room and tell me stories, without a book. I have vague memories of those stories. But I do remember sitting next to his hospital bed, watching the cancer eat him up. The very last thing my father said to me was, "Find your place in this world, Bella, because it won't be nice if you just wonder around hopelessly."

On Friday 13th of September, Robert Willes, my father, died.

We couldn't afford a funeral, as Mum had drunk all of our savings. So, by my mother's choice, we burnt him to ashes. I had fought against the idea vigorously, but she did it anyway. Fortunately, we'd already paid our mortgage to the small house we had. The only money we received was the money that was supposed to be spent groceries and such. Since Mum always sent me to go and get the money, which was delivered in cash, I usually pinched $50 to last me for my lunches at the tuck-shop that fortnight. I didn't like stealing, but otherwise, she wouldn't give it to me.

School wasn't really depressing for me, as it probably was for others my age. Although I had no friends, school was my comfort zone, especially since all the kids, like me, were in a difficult financial situation. School had no uniform, so that wasn't a problem either. But the main problem were the teachers. I was the smartest, but the teachers didn't care. They didn't reward me for the great effort I put into my homework. As well as being the smartest, I was probably also the skinniest, due to the fact that I only ate lunch. I wasn't doing this on purpose of course. It was just that I couldn't afford cereal for breakfast, or fish and chips for dinner.

I packed for school one morning as usual. I had nothing for breakfast as usual. I started towards the door as usual, but Mum stopped me.  
She said, in a sloppy sort of tone, "Oh, Isabella, honey, would you go to the community centre and get me an autograph after school?"  
I sighed, and took the magazine page she held out in her hand. I looked at it. It was an American Wrestling magazine. Apparently they were coming here, to Australia, for one week. I didn't see what the point was in getting their autograph. They were probably so famous that some people would already be lined up to see them, 6 hours before they arrived.

But I went to the community centre after school, just like Mum said to. There were a lot of people there, but not as much as I expected. Though there was still a big line to see them and have a photo with them. Since they were shutting down the event soon, the organizers were letting the fans have their photo with the players taken for free. After I got the autograph Mum wanted, I thought _what the heck_ and lined up to have my photo taken as well. I got there just in front of a very, very large man. He got really mad at me and started accusing me of stealing his place in line.

Then he threw the first punch.

Then the second, then the third... I was used to getting beat because when Mum got really mad at me, she'd practice the boxing moves she'd been watching on television, on me. But still, that didn't mean that it hurt any less. The fat man only stopped beating me up because the line was moving up, and I was still on the ground, defenseless. He then went ahead and took my place in line. I got up and stood my ground, not inviting any more punches or kicks. That's when I started to cry. I knew I was bleeding because I could taste my own blood, but what could I do? So I just stood there waiting for my turn, still clutching Mum's magazine.

When I got to the front of the line, I was still crying. I must've looked pretty bad because one black-haired wrestler looked at me with deep concern.  
"Are you okay?" He asked when I walked up to him. And that's when I completely lost it. I can't help it. I haven't heard a man's voice show concern for me for as long as I can remember. He knelt down on his knees, put his hands on my shoulders, looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Who did this to you?"  
Still stuttering, I looked around for the fat man who beat me up. He was just leaving the building.  
"Him." I managed to whisper, pointing at him.  
The wrestler quickly whispered something to the security guard standing next to him, and then turned his attention back to me.  
"Is your Mum or Dad here with you?" he said in a soothing voice.  
"No" I whispered. I rubbed my eyes. My left eye hurt when I touched it. I guessed it was purple. Then he brought me into his arms and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back. Without warning, he picked me up easily and carried me to the car-park outside, where an ambulance was waiting for me.  
I moaned to him," Don't leave me!" Then I slowly fell into unconsciousness, still wondering who the nice man was.

..XxxXxXxXxXx..

I opened my eyes, well, I tried to. I couldn't really open my left eye. I moaned. Someone shushed me.  
"Don't worry, I'm still here." A man's voice said. I recognized that it was the wrestler's voice, the nice man I had met at the autograph-signing session. Then I remembered his name. His name was Matt Hardy, one of the best in Professional Wrestling. Then I saw him. I felt my body overcome with relief. He had stayed! "Where am I?" I asked him. Then I noticed my nose hurt when I talked.  
He responded, "You're lying on the couch in my hotel room." I couldn't remember anything past when I left school.  
"What day is it?" I moaned. He said it was the day after I had gotten beat. I wasn't worried about my Mum worrying about me. She never does. I could walk home in the middle of the night for all she cared. He looked at me with concern, and then lightly brushed my forehead.  
Then he smiled. "Are you going to tell me your name?" He asked gently.  
I looked at him with surprise and said, "My name's Bella, short for Isabella. I already know your name, sir." I said that last bit because I knew what he would say next.  
"Bella, Bella, what have you done to yourself?" He grinned at me wickedly. Then he started to tickle me. That's when I did my bubble laugh. My Dad called it that when I laughed like a newborn baby. I haven't laughed since I was a small child.

He stared at me with those dark brown eyes and said, "You really don't know how cute you are, you know." I looked around everywhere, except for his eyes, because I knew if I looked at them, I would do my bubble laugh. Then I yawned. I didn't want to go to sleep, I wanted to talk to him more. He brushed my cheek and said, "Sleep, Bella. I will be here waiting for you." He had answered my unspoken question. With that, I fell asleep.

..XxxXxXxXxXx..

"Bella, wake up." Whispered a now-familiar voice. I slowly opened my eyes. I had spent the weekend and Matt's hotel room, waiting for my eye to heal. I didn't see what the point was in me staying, but then I found out he just wanted to spend some time with me. He had asked me all sorts of questions, but not the ones too personal. "But I will ask you them in time." He had promised. So I got up, and headed straight for a school-morning snuggle with him.  
"Good morning, my sunshine. Time for breakfast, and after that; school!" he murmured. Matt had been treating me like the daughter he would never have. Because of his frantic schedule, he wouldn't have the time to settle down until he retired. "I'm not going to wait that long!" He had said. So I went and got dressed into the clothes that he had conveniently picked up for me. Once I was dressed, I asked him, "How are we going to school?" The answer was not that surprising; by limousine. So I shrugged and said yes. Then we were off!

School went by pretty fast, partly because I was so excited to see Matt again. So when the limousine, popped in front of the school gates, I turned to see the bewildered faces on some children. I smiled to myself and shook my head. Then when I got into the limousine, Matt was in there waiting for me with open arms. After I shut the door, he pulled me onto his lap, rested his chin on my tiny shoulder and whispered, "There's something very important I need to ask you when we get back to the hotel." I frowned. This didn't sound like any good news. So for the rest of the ride, I sat on his lap in silence, wondering what he was going to ask me. When we arrived at the hotel and got out, the first thing I said was, "What are you going to ask me?" He chuckled, "In the hotel room." Then he picked me up and carried me all the way up to our room.

When got there, he sat me down on the couch and said, "How would you feel if... I mean... I don't know if you want to... would you like to come and live with me in America?" I gasped little, but not so much it was obvious. Then I looked down, for this was a question I would have to think about. I thought about it for an hour or so, and then I finally said,  
"Okay, I'll come and live with you. But we have to go to my Mum's to pick up some things." Then I looked at him for the first time in an hour. I thought he was in tears.  
"Thank-you," he whispered "Thank-you so so much." Then he got up to wipe away the tears.  
"And Matt," I said "You'll have to sign some adoption papers." I whispered that last bit with a smile. Then he turned around, tears over-flowing now, grinning as he opened his arms. Then I jumped into his arms, myself crying as well, knowing that I would forever be his.

..XxxXxXxXxXx..

So the next day, we went to pick up the few things I owned at my mother's. I was going to confront her for the last time.  
"Come with me, please?" I asked Matt. He said he'd love to. So, up we went my old driveway for the last time. We walked hand-in-hand up to the porch. There was a spare key underneath the door mat. I opened the door slowly, not knowing what sort of mood my mother would be in. After all, I hadn't seen her in 5 days. Matt had his hands on my shoulders. My breathing was rapidly increasing. Where was she?

"Mummy, I'm home!" I stuttered nervously. I walked right up to the cabinet nearest to me and slid the key under the packets of cigarettes there. "Mummy?" I exclaimed nervously. I walked silently all the way into the kitchen, which was at the back of the house. Then I saw her.

She looked nothing like the mother I had left only 5 days ago. Her drowsy eyes were covered by heavy blue rings. She had raw scabs all over her arms, legs and face. She was holding the rifle Dad used to own, and she was pointing it at me.

"Where have you been, you evil, disgusting little child?" Yelled Mum. I couldn't answer. She looked like something straight out of a horror movie. "ANSWER ME!" She screamed. Then I felt someone's breathe on me. "Bella, I have to go and get the police. Stay exactly where you are. Do not do anything that will make her mad. I will only be gone a few minutes, I promise." As I listened to what Matt was saying, the terror that had been building up in my throat suddenly exploded. I started to cry, "Please don't leave me", but he was gone.

Mum started rumbling on incoherently about complete nonsense, still aiming that rifle towards me. I looked to the ground and counted 3 minutes.  
4 minutes.  
5 minutes.  
Where was Matt? Where was my knight in shining armor that had saved me from a terrible fate? As if answering my question, I suddenly heard a police siren. Unfortunately, so did Mum.

"Well then, we might as well make this quicker than planned, shall we?" She said with definite evil in her voice. Her nose flared. All I had to do was stall her until the police came here.

"GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!" she yelled. Tears filled my eyes. If the police and Matt didn't get here fast enough, this was sure to be my death. So I refused to get down on my knees. Instead, I bolted for the back door, which was in the laundry, which was a room away from the kitchen. Mum started shooting at me as I ran for my life. The police siren stopped. They were outside the front door. So I started running there, with my back to Mum. Then I saw Matt coming through the door. I was a metre away from him when I felt the first bullet come through my back, then the second, then the third. Somehow, I managed to stand all the way until the third bullet, but then my knees buckled and I fell delicately into Matt's arms. My eyes started to close. Everything became vague. In the distance I heard, "Bella, stay with me please!"

So I tried, but I couldn't.


End file.
